Bill Moyers continues to hit the health care issue hard.....tonight, "Profits or Patients"

[marmar]

July 10, 2009

Last month, testimony in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation by a former health insurance insider named Wendell Potter made news even before it occurred: CBS NEWS headlined: "Cigna Whistleblower to Testify." After Potter's testimony the industry scrambled to do damage control: "Insurers defend rescissions, take heat for lack of transparency."

In his first television interview since leaving the health insurance industry, Wendell Potter tells Bill Moyers why he left his successful career as the head of Public Relations for CIGNA, one of the nation's largest insurers, and decided to speak out against the industry. "I didn't intend to , until it became really clear to me that the industry is resorting to the same tactics they've used over the years, and particularly back in the early '90s, when they were leading the effort to kill the Clinton plan."

Potter began his trip from health care spokesperson to reform advocate while back home in Tennessee. Potter attended a "health care expedition," a makeshift health clinic set up at a fairgrounds, and he tells Bill Moyers, "It was absolutely stunning. When I walked through the fairground gates, I saw hundreds of people lined up, in the rain. It was raining that day. Lined up, waiting to get care, in animal stalls. Animal stalls."

Looking back over his long career, Potter sees an industry corrupted by Wall Street expectations and greed. According to Potter, insurers have every incentive to deny coverage — every dollar they don't pay out to a claim is a dollar they can add to their profits, and Wall Street investors demand they pay out less every year. Under these conditions, Potter says, "You don't think about individual people. You think about the numbers, and whether or not you're going to meet Wall Street's expectations." ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/profile.html

[slipslidingaway]

1. thanks knr nt

[redqueen]

2. Thanks.

Love that guy.

[slipslidingaway]

3. Testimony of Dr. Linda Peeno (featured in "SiCKO") about our lethal managed care system

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5854713&mesg_id=5854713

"...III. ETHICS FROM THE FRONTLINES

I wish to begin by making a public confession: In the spring of 1987, as a physician, I caused the death of a man.

Although this was known to many people, I have not been taken before any court of law or called to account for this in any professional or public forum. In fact, just the opposite occurred: I was "rewarded" for this. It bought me an improved reputation in my job, and contributed to my advancement afterwards. Not only did I demonstrate I could indeed do what was expected of me, I exemplified the "good" company doctor: I saved a half million dollars!..."


Thread should look familiar :)

[earthboundmisfit]

4. Excellent, K&R

SO looking forward to seeing this!

[GiveMeFreedom]

5. Great show

Saw it last night and I sat on the edge of my seat to watch it. Potter was very open with his discussion about health insurance. He summed it for me when he called it "wall street care". The bottom line: Health insurance companies are profit driven, nothing short of their demise will alter that course.

[truedelphi]

6. This household could only stomach a few minutes at a time of this broadcast.

Most excellent work by Moyers. he is perhaps the one remaining, true journalist with the ability to get a message out.

But having dealt with the insurance scam artists over and over again, when we needed our 1,000 a month COBRA coverage to actually help us, we know the suffering all too well. The missed diagnosis because Kaiser Permanente doesn't have a mandatory $ 10 diabetes screening test. The constant games that were played by Kaiser.

It is painful to watch broadcasts like this. Just painful.

[spanone]

7. kick it up